Retired Army General Lloyd Austin, President-elect Joe Biden's pick to lead the Pentagon, said on Tuesday that Iran posed a threat to American allies in the region and forces stationed there.
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"Iran continues to be a destabilizing element in the region. ... It does present a threat to our partners in the region and those forces that we have stationed in the region," Austin said during his confirmation hearing.
"If Iran were ever to get a nuclear capability, most every problem we deal with in the region would be tougher to deal with because of that," he added.
Meanwhile, Biden's choice to be secretary of state, Antony Blinken, threw his support behind a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but said he doubted near-term prospects for such a deal.
"The only way to ensure Israel's future as a Jewish, democratic state and to give the Palestinians a state to which they are entitled is through the so-called two-state solution," Blinken said at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
But, he added: "I think realistically it's hard to see near-term prospects for moving forward on that."
As for Iran, Blinken noted that the upcoming administration would be "committed to the proposition that Iran will not acquire a nuclear weapon."
"Iran, with a nuclear weapon or on a threshold of having one would be Iran that is even more dangerous than it already is when it comes to all of the other malicious activities that it has engaged in, whether it is support for terrorism; whether it is fueling and feeding its proxies; whether it is destabilizing the region," he said.
He said he believed that the nuclear deal Trump withdrew from in 2018 should be reinvigorated with an eye toward producing "a longer and stronger agreement."
"Having said that," he said, suggesting that Iran would not be an immediate priority, "we're a long way from that."
However, according to Blinken, "The president-elect believes that if Iran comes back into compliance, we would, too. But we would use that as a platform with our allies and partners who would once again, be on the same side with us, to seek a longer and stronger agreement."
Blinken vowed to keep partisan politics out of intelligence agencies, restore an emphasis on cooperating with international allies, and push for a stronger American leadership role.
He also pledged to repair the alleged damage done to the State Department and America's image abroad while continuing a tougher approach to China. He said he planned to restore career officials to prominent positions in the department and strive to promote inclusivity in the ranks for the diplomatic corps.
"American leadership still matters," he said at his confirmation hearing.
Neither Blinken nor Biden's other nominees for national security Cabinet posts encountered substantial opposition Tuesday.
Biden's pick to lead the intelligence community, Avril Haines, promised to "speak truth to power" and keep politics out of intelligence agencies to ensure their work is trusted.
"When it comes to intelligence, there is simply no place for politics – ever," she told the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Austin, who would be the first Black secretary of defense, said he understands why some have questioned the wisdom of putting a recently retired general in charge of the Pentagon.
"The safety and security of our democracy demands competent civilian control of our armed forces, the subordination of military power to the civil," he said.
The House majority leader, Rep. Steny Hoyer, indicated Tuesday that the full House would consider an Austin waiver bill on Thursday.
Like Blinken, Austin said he views China as the leading international issue facing Biden's national security team.
On China, Blinken said the Trump administration was right to take a tougher stance. But, he said it had approached the matter poorly by alienating US allies and not fully standing up for human rights around the world.
"As we look at China, there is no doubt that it poses the greatest threat of any nation-state to the United States," he said.
Blinken said Biden would enter office with a plan to extend the New START arms control treaty with Russia that expires in February. The Trump administration made a failed last-ditch effort to extend the treaty on terms Russia rejected.
Republicans are expected to broadly support the Austin nomination, as are Democrats. Haines and Blinken encountered no significant resistance at their confirmation hearings.
Haines, a former CIA deputy director, would be the first woman to serve as director of national intelligence, or DNI – a role created after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Also testifying Tuesday at his confirmation hearing was Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden's nominee for secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. He would be the first Latino and first immigrant to lead the agency.
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